Nearly half of the public school buildings in Oregon are at high risk of collapse during an earthquake, say state geologists.

A two-year assessment of public buildings in Oregon rated 46 percent of about 2,200 K-12 school buildings as either having a “very high” or “high” risk of failing during a quake.

The 274 buildings rated at the highest risk are at 193 schools that have 14.5 percent of the state’s students.

Officials with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries released their 150-page report to the Legislature today. The assessment also examined fire and police stations, hospitals and community colleges, which all fared well compared to the schools.

Agency director Vicki McConnell emphasized that the report is not meant to scare parents or students, but is aimed at giving local and state policymakers an idea of which buildings are most in need of retrofitting. McConnell said the earthquake risk in Oregon is low compared to California and Washington, but quakes in the state pose a hazard to life and property. The report ranks more than 3,300 structures for probability of collapse during an earthquake in four categories: “very high,” “high,” “moderate” and “low.” The geologists say the word collapse does not necessarily mean the disintegration of a building, but also includes ways a building may become unusable.

The amount of damage a building can sustain during a strong earthquake is difficult to predict.

The researchers did not do detailed structural studies. They made their assessment based on a visual examination of the outside of the buildings, and also included such factors as the building’s age, the soil, the probability of an earthquake, and the materials used in making the structure.

Age was a primary factor for most of the schools in the “very high” risk category. Most of the state’s school buildings were constructed prior to 1960, before statewide seismic building codes were in put in place in the 1970s.

Legislation passed two years ago called for the building assessment, which will be used by the Oregon Office of Emergency Management to set up a seismic rehabilitation grant program. The money, which would come from bonds, would be given to communities that are most in need of retrofitting public buildings.

»Search for a school’s earthquake risk
(For the best results, type the proper name of the school, but not the type of school. For instance, search for "Cleveland" not "Cleveland High School.")